RE: Redshirt1701, Jacob 2:19…,"if ye seek them; and ye will seek them
for the intent to do good, to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to
liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the
afflicted."

The Mormon church has no hospitals and only a handful
of primary schools. Its university system is limited BYU in Utah, Idaho and
Hawaii, and LDS Business College. Seminaries and institutes for high school
students and single adults offer religious studies for hundreds of thousands.

In contrast, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which had about 17
million members a year ago, appears to be getting a better return on investment:
It builds smaller meeting houses and lots of schools and hospitals.

"The Seventh-day Adventists clearly have a much more expansive
humanitarian project in terms of building hospitals and medical schools and
schools and universities and long-term developmental infrastructure around the
world," Aug 13, 2012 ,

I see why they would want to buy the block next to the temple
because maybe its a rough neighborhood but what about the block adjacent to the
mall or the one next to that? Where does it stop? If we can convince ourselves
that building malls are what God wants then what could be next...

All this money going into developments when I know first hand that in many
wards around the world members are going hungry. I talked to a bishop in Africa
and he said 60% of his members don't have enough money to feed their
families. When I hear that I feel like this building is a bit unimportant to
those members.

Just because Jesus beat up the money changers doesn't mean that the
Heavenly Father is averse to making a little prophet.I think it's
great that the LDS church makes money. Why shouldn't they?They have
as much right to capitalist endeavors as any other entity in this wonderful
country. That's what made this country great!

Whatever the benefits and whatever the good will come of it, it getting harder
and harder to see where the Mormon concept of "Kingdom of God" resembles
very much the "Kingdom of God" that the Galilean peasant taught along
the dusty back roads among the downtrodden poor and marginalized.

Yes it is true that Jesus was not ostentatious while in his
mortal ministry. He was born in a stable. No opulence there. His mortal mother
was forced to travel from her hometown of Nazareth to pay taxes/tribute to the
powerful world government. The only visitors that Holy night were shepherds in a
stable where animals gave place in a manger.

Jesus is now a
glorified resurrected being. He is the Son of the Most High, Man of Holiness.
We see 'Holiness to the Lord' etched in stone on His Temples.If
you think his authorized servants, the Quorum of the First Presidency and the
Quorum of the Council of the Twelve, have business acumen, you are right.

These small business ventures in creating architectural splendor against
the backdrop of the building blight of inner cities will be as nothing compared
to the profusion of abundance to be displayed at His second coming in clouds of
Glory.

@esquire. Actually, Philly can be pretty rough in certain stats. For example its
murder rate is higher, numbers wise, to Chicago, NYC, and LA even though it has
fewer people. Though the area near the temple is definitely not one of those
rougher areas

As for the building. Another article I read mentioned
it was to keep with the promise of investing in Philadelphia made with the city
earlier. I'm pretty happy about it, personally. Philly could use the boost,
especially with it's high unemployment rate compared to the rest of the
state.

Those that are criticizing the building of the tower do not understand at all
how the finances of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actually
works.

One poster above mentions that most of a ward in Africa is
having trouble meeting their financial needs. What they fail to understand is
that there are budget matters that allows the ward/branch to meet its
obligations pertaining to their sacrament attendance. Fast offerings are used
to assist those who are in need. It only a temporary solution, not a permanent
solution. The LDS Church teaches self-reliance. Unfortunately, the United
States welfare program decides we as a nation give to the poor but fails to
teach anything else.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that a man is
reliant upon himself and thus the LDS Church tries to meet these needs on a
temporary basis. Once they are able to become more reliant then less assistant
is required. The perpetual education fund is what helps some of these
individuals to become self-reliant. You don't just throw money out there
and hope to get someone out of trouble. It takes a lot of sacrifice.

Perhaps this is a benevolent gesture to add low income housing to downtown
Philly? Lets hope so because I don't think Jesus would look kindly on more
housing for the 1%. I'm going to think positively and believe it is.

It would seem that every time the church announces a project red flags start
waiving all over the place. The buildings are eventually built, the surrounding
area is greatly enhanced and then the 'nay' sayers hang on the edge of
their seat waiting for the next announcement to be made so that more criticism
can be voiced and more complaints can be filed.

For a generation now
we have tried to enforce the notion that religion must be confined to Sunday
mornings and securely locked behind sanctuary doors so as not to disturb the
population at large. We have successfully removed the notions of right and
wrong from society and now are wondering why our politicians are so
untrustworthy.

The LDS church seems to have vision. They preach of
improving lives, so let them work to build a better society and not just a
secluded chapel behind a thorny hedge.

The LDS Church is unrelenting in doing good around the globe. Compassion for
others who are in dire need leads to countless humanitarian projects which
extend far beyond disaster recovery. In Philadelphia the building announced by
the Philadelphia media is an example of how this project is welcomed by that
city. For temple workers and patrons what a relief to be so close and not have
to fight traffic. What a blessing to serve in the evening and not have to be
afraid being out after dark in the city.

atl134 "Jesus didn't start a carpentry business and proclaim that
hiring a bunch of workers while making a good profit was his purpose."

Are you sure? At the age of 30 Jesus quit working and turned his life
over to the Ministry. He had no income for the next 4 years of his life. Maybe
his carpentry business made a little more profit than you know. Not many people
are in a financial position to take the next 4 years off.

I think this is wonderful news. The Church was restored in a free nation, what
better place to have a Temple built than the city where the Declaration of
Independence was signed. I'm sure it will be lovely!

The Philadelphia project is similar but
larger than the Manhattan Temple. SLC Mormon needs to understand that all
commercial property owned by the LDS church is tax paying. It is incorrect to
believe that PRI is owned by the church and therefore is the church. The IRS
doesn't see it that way. Only those that are for religious purposes are tax
exempt. The after tax profits from commercial properties are used for multiple
charitable purposes that are seldom publicized and are not paid to share
holders. That is far better for the tax payor than to have a private equity fund
build the tower.

When the San Diego Temple was built it was the most expensive project the Church
had ever undertaken and there was a lot of criticism about the cost. To quote
President Hinckley when speaking to a group of members while visiting San Diego
to review the progress of construction he said, "Nothing is to expensive or
to good for the Lord." I don't see anyone calling for the Church to
sell or tear down the Temple. I'm sure the same will happen in
Philadelphia and that the people will come to realize what a good decision this
was in years to come.

The New York City (Manhattan) temple is adjacent to a tall church-owned
apartment building. It provided the flexibility of using part of the apartment
building for ward classrooms, and housing for the temple presidency and
full-time workers.